Cutting mechanism



Jan. 3, 1939. w. MAIER CUTTING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 14,1937 i Y m MD M V am M A Jan.. 3, 1939. w. MAIER CUTTING MECHANISM FiledOct. 14, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 3, 1939. w. MAIER CUTTING MECHANISMFiled Oct. 14, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 3, 1939. I w. MAIER CUTTINGMECHANISM 4 Shets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 14, 1937 h'l'lll'am Maier' PatentedJan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

My invention relates to a continuously rotating cutting mechanism forcutting into sections continuously moving sheet material, preferably oflengths varying from 30 to inches.

An object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple mechanicalarrangement for adjusting the rotating movement of the rotating cutterso that different lengths of sheet material may be severed, and whichadjustment is under the control of the operator of the structure. suchadjustment being operable Without interrupting the operation of thecutting device.

Fig. 1 is an end view of my improved cutting device.

Fig. 2 is a top, plan view, partly broken away, of my improved cuttingdevice.

Fig'. 3 is a sectional view showing the elliptical gears for driving thecutting rolls, taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a side view taken from the side opposite Fig. 3 and showingthe gears for operating the adjustment devices for varying the length ofcut of the traveling material.

Fig. 5 is a view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a detail view, partly in section, showing the mechanism foradjusting the rotary cutters for cutting different lengths of thetraveling material.

Ftig. '7 is a view of a hand-controlled device for adjusting the Reevesdrive, and is taken on the line 'I1, Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View showing the positions of the eccentricgear in relation to the oblong gear as shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, A designates the variable speed drive mechanism of anyconventional type, that illustrated being the well known Reeves drive,which is driven by a belt B from a motor (not shown). The drive shaft Coperates the driven shaft D through the belt E connecting the pulleys Fand G. The pulleys F and G are controlled by a threaded rod S whichextends transversely of the Reeves drive, near one end thereof, whichrod S is rotatable by mechanism hereinafter to be described. The pitchof the threads on said rod S are so arranged that on one side of thecenter of said rod one set of threads are pitched in one direction whileon the other side of the center the threads are pitched in the oppositedirection, so as to cause the ends of the arms T, which are connected tosaid rod S, to move toward or away from each other when the rod S isrotated. Such movement of the arms T through the threaded rod S movesthe pulleys F and the pulleys G toward or away from each other, as bothsets of said pulleys are connected to said members T. The members T arefulcrummed as at X in the Reeves drive A intermediate of the pulleys Fand the pulleys G, so that as the members T are moved by the rotation ofthe threaded rod S the pulleys F are moved toward or away from eachother, depending on the direction of movement of the threaded rod S,while the pulleys G are moved in a direc- 10 tion opposite to that ofthe pulleys F. Thus the belt E is moved upwardly or downwardly on theinclined inner faces of the pulleys F and G, and thus the change inspeed of the driving shaft D in said Reeves drive is controlled, as iswell 15 known to those familiar with such speed drive mechanisms,particularly the Reeves drive.

A sprocket chain l is mounted on a sprocket wheel 2 on one end of thedriven shaft D, and is also connected to a sprocket wheel 3 on the 20drive shaft 4 which is journaled in the standard 5 near the bottomthereof, said standard being mounted on the frame H of the device. Thedrive shaft 4 extends substantially across the entire device and isjournaled at its opposite end in the 25 end frame 6 mounted on the frameH of the device across from the side on which is mounted the standard 5.Another end frame is designated by the numeral 1 and assists in thesupport of the main operating members of my cut- 30 ting mechanism.

Mounted on the drive shaft 4 is a small gear wheel 8 which meshes with alarger gear wheel 9 carried by a stub shaft Ill journaled in the upperend of the standard 5 and the end frame 35 l. The eccentric gear wheelII is also eccentrically mounted on the stub shaft l8 and meshes withanother eccentric gear wheel l2 eccentrically mounted on a shaft l3,which extends sub stantially across the entire device and is journaledin the end frames 6 and 1.

l4 designates a series of ribs longitudinally mounted on the shaft l3which extend spirally about the shaft i3 and approximately at 5 aroundits circumference. l5 designates another shaft parallel with shaft I3and which is provided with ribs I6 extending longitudinally of suchshaft 15 approximately its full length in a straight line. 50

ll designates a slidable carriage which is adapted to slide transverselyof the device beneath the rails l8 mounted on the frame H, theextensions l9 on the carriage 11 extending beneath said rails l8 and theframe H (see Fig. 5)..

The means for sliding said carriage I! will be hereinafter described.

Rotatably journaled in the carriage I! are two spur gear wheels and 2|(see Figs. 5 and 6), through the centers of which pass, respectively,the shafts l5 and I3. Transverse slots are pro vided in the hubs ofthese gear wheels 28 and 2| to receive the ribs I4 and I6, so that saidgear wheels may slide freely along the shafts l3 and l5 while at thesame time imparting rotary movement to said shafts. The spur gears 20and 2| are in mesh with each other. The shaft l3, being driven by thegear wheel l2, imparts rotary movement to the shaft l5 through theintermeshing gears 2 and 2| in whatever position the slidable carriagemay occupy transversely of the device. When the shaft 4 is driven by thechain connected with the Reeves drive A, the gear wheel 8 is rotated,and as said gear wheel 8 meshes with the large gear wheel 9 carried bythe spur shaft In, the gear wheel 9 is also rotated, as well as the spurshaft l0. Also eccentrically mounted on shaft I0 is an eccentric gearwheel II which meshes with another eccentric gear wheel l2 eccentricallymounted on shaft l3. In Figs. 2 and 3 the mechanism illustrated showsthe cutting device in position for cutting the longest sheets of thematerial passing therethrough. Rotation of shaft l0 causes the rotationof the eccentric gear wheel meshing with the eccentric gear wheel I2,thereby rotating the shaft |3 on which said gear wheel I2 is mounted.

Referring to Fig. 3, as the gear wheels H and I2 rotate they graduallydecrease the speed cycle of shaft |3 in regard to shaft l0, until theyhave made a half-turn, when the speed cycle of shaft I3 is caused toregain, progressively, its original speed cycle. As the shaft I3 isrotated, the gear wheel 2| in the transversely movable carriage H isalso rotated (as such gear wheel is carried by shaft l3), and suchrotation of gear wheel 2| causes the rotation of gear wheel 20 carriedon the shaft l5, thereby rotating said shaft l5 at the same speed asshaft l3. Now, then, the transverse carriage I1, when moved transverselyof the device, will cause the position of shaft l5 to change withrespect to the position of shaft l3. This also changes the speed cycleof shaft |5 with relation to stub shaft II). On the end of shaft l5,opposite the end on which is mounted the eccentric gear I2, is mountedfor rotation therewith gear wheel 22 which meshes with gear wheel 23which is mounted on the journal of the lower cutter roll 25. The gearwheel 23 makes two revolutions to one revolution of gear wheel 22. Onthe same journal of the lower cutter roll 25 is eccentrically mounted aneccentric gear wheel 26, adjacent gear wheel 22, which meshes with aquick-return gear 21, mounted on shaft 28, the gear wheel 26 making tworevolutions to one of quick-return gear 28. The purpose of this is toprovide for cutting a sheet up to 120 inches. If the cutting took placeon each revolution of the lower cutter roll 25 instead of on each tworevolutions thereof, a sheet only half the length required could be cut.The teeth on the gear wheels 26 and 21 are so arranged that at thebeginning of the cutting period the speed of travel of the upper andlower cutter rolls is synchronized to the speed of movement of thematerial to be cut, and such synchronized movement is maintained duringthe entire cutting operation, after which the idling movement of thecutter rolls is controlled so that at the proper time said cutter rollswill be brought into cutting position to effect the length of cutdetermined by the position of the traveling carriage H, which travelstransversely of the device, and the change of speed in thespeed-changing device. As the carriage H is shifted transversely of themachine, the gears 28 and 2| (journaled in said carriage) travel withsaid carriage and are slidingly keyed to the respective shafts l3 andI5. The result of this transverse movement of the carriage I1 is tochange the position only of the shafts l3 and I5 relatively to eachother, but not their speed of rotation.

The gear ratio between the gears 26 and 21 1s two revolutions of gear 26to one of gear 21. The gear 26 has teeth on the periphery thereof, aportion of which are on a radius taken on the center of the mounting ofsaid gear on the journal 24, while the remainder of said teeth are on aradius taken on a center above said first-named center (see Fig. 4). Thepurpose of this is to cause the cutter rolls 25; and 28 during theentire cutting operation to be synchronized with the speed of travel ofthe material to be out which passes between said cutter rolls. Thejournals 24 and 28 are mounted in the end frames 6 and l, and 3|]designates transverse bolts for stiffening the upper portions of endframes 6 and 1.

3| designates a feed screw transversely mounted between the end frames 6and I and adapted to be rotated by means of an electric motor 32 mountedon the end frame 6 and under the control of the operator of the cuttingdevice. The motor is: adapted to rotate a worm gear 33 mounted on thefeed screw 3|, whereby rotary motion is imparted to said feed screw. Theslidable carriage I1 is provided with a threaded portion 34 beneath itsmedian line for the reception of the feed screw 3|, and by virtue ofwhich said carriage is moved across the width of the device when thefeed screw 3| is rotated. 35 designates an arm depending from thecarriage I! to which is attached a spring 36 which is secured to a wirerope 31, which in turn is secured to the sprocket chain 4| which mesheswith the sprocket wheel 40 on the shaft 33. The feed screw 3| isjournaled in the standard I and a short standard 38, both mounted on theframe H.

On the end of the shaft which extends beyond the housing is mounted asmall wheel which operates the feed screw 3| and the sprocket chain 45,which chain passes over another and larger sprocket wheel mounted on astub shaft Also mounted on said stub shaft 45 is a larger sprocketwheel, which is connected by a chain 46 with a sprocket wheel mounted onone end of the screw-threaded rod S of the Reeves drive. By this means areduction of speed of movement between the shaft l3 and thescrewthreaded rod S is obtained. Also, by these means is the change inspeed in the Reeves drive primarily obtained. I have provided anadditional hand-controlled device which is. also connected to the sameend of the screw-threaded rod S on which is mounted the sprocket wheelabove referred to. This hand-controlled mechanism. will be hereinafterreferred to.

On the shaft 39 is a sprocket wheel 40 by means of which a combinationsprocket chain and wire rope member 4| is driven. Another sprocket wheel42 over which the member 4| passes is also provided. When the feed screw3| is rotated, the member 4| is driven across the device in onedirection or the other, according as the feed screw 3| is rotated by themotor 32.

Two wheels 42' attached to the shaft 39 are rotated, and extendingacross the device from one wheel 39 to the other are belts 43 which areindexed in inches, and 44 are pointers carried by the frame H, so thatthe operator may determine how many inches in length the traveling webof material will be severed.

The means for regulating the cutters 25 and 29 will now be described. Ifcuts of '72 inch lengths be desired, the operator of the device startsthe motor 32 which, through the feed screw 3! ro tates the wheels 42,which moves the chain belts 4| and indexed belts 43. When the numeral 72on the indexed belts 43 registers with the pointers 44 (see Fig. 4),then the motor 32 is stopped and the speed cycle of the cutters 25 and29 are so regulated, together with the variable speed drive, that theywill sever the traveling web of material every 72 inches. Thisregulation is accomplished by moving the slidable carriage IT to theleft (see Fig. 1). The gear wheels 29 and 2|, being slidable along theshafts l3 and IS, with the ribs l4 and I6 passing through the axialopenings in said gear wheels 29 and 2 l, the upper shaft IS with thestraight ribs i5 thereon is caused to change its position toward theshaft l3 as the slidable carriage l1 moves along said shafts I3 and I5.

In Figs. 2 and '7 I have shown a manuallycontrolled means for changingthe speed of the Reeves drive. To one end of the screw-threaded rod S Isecure a shaft 41, which is actually an extension of the rod S, and atthe outer end of the shaft 41 is secured a hand wheel 48, which handwheel may be located at a point convenient to the reach of the operatorof my cutting device. The sprocket wheel 46 normally controls therotation of the screw-threaded rod S through the movement of thecarriage IT, as hereinbefore de scribed. The sprocket wheel is mountedon the hub 49 of the circular member 59, which member is keyed to theshaft 49, as shown at 5|. To the inner face of the circular member 59 isattached a leather facing 52 by rivets 53. The hub 49 extends beyond thesprocket wheel 46, and on the outer end of said hub is mounted a collar54, screw-threaded upon said hub 49. Another circular member 55 ismounted on the hub 49 and keyed thereto by the key 56. On the inner faceof the member 55 is a leather facing 51 held in place by the rivets 58.The member 58 and the member 59 are normally held in frictionengagement-with the sprocket wheel 46 by the spring 59 which surroundsthe hub 49 and is located between the collar 54 and the hub 69 on thecircular member 55. By this arrangement the screw-threaded rod S may bemanually rotated by the hand wheel 48 without moving the sprocket wheel46, the leather facings 52 and 51 slipping on the faces of the sprocketwheel 45' (with which they contact; see Fig. 7), when the hand wheel 48is manipulated. The sprocket wheel 46, when rotated through the movementof the carriage l1, rotates the circular members and 55, andtherethrough rotates the screwthreaded rod S.

The Reeves drive A is affected by the rotation of the feed screw 3|through the sprocket chains 45 and 46 mounted on the reduction gearsadapted to reduce the movement transmitted to the threaded rod S in saidReeves drive, as herein previously described. In Fig. 2 these sprocketchains 45 and 46 are shown leading from the feed screw 3! to thescrew-threaded rod S on the Reeves drive A, which screw determines thespeed of drive of said Reeves drive through operation of the two leversT, as also previously described. By controlling the Reeves drive, andthe speed cycle of the cutter rolls 25 and 29, through the eccentricgears H and I2 and the carriage H, the speed cycle of rotation of saidcutter rolls may a be definitely determined and the indexed gauges 43will accurately represent the number of inches of the traveling web ofmaterial that is to be severed. Accuracy of the speed of the cutter isassured by the hand-controlled device, previously described, whereby theoperator may rotate the screw-threaded rod S of the Reeves driveindependently of the machine-controlled device for such purpose.

In Fig. 8 I have diagrammatically shown how the gears 26 and 21intermesh at the several points of rotation, the centers of the saidgears remaining fixed but the eccentrically mounted gear 26 changes theposition of said gear as it rotates to accommodate the changing diameterof gear wheel 21 as it rotates. For convenience I have numbered theteeth on eccentric gear wheel 26 from 1 to 21, which mesh with twoseries of teeth numbered from 1 to 21 from right to left at the bottomof gear wheel 21, and also numbered from 1 to 21 from left to right atthe top of gear wheel 21, in Fig. 8. As the eccentric gear wheel 26rotates twice to one rotation of the gear wheel 21, it is apparent thatsaid gear wheel 27 will on one revolution intermesh with the teethnumbered 1 to 21 at the bottom of the gear wheel 2?, while on the secondrevolution of said eccentric gear wheel 26 it will interm-esh with theteeth numbered 1 to 21 at the top of said gear wheel 21. The fragmentsof the gear Wheel 26 at the left and upper right of the diagrammaticview shown in Fig. 3 is solely for the purpose of showing how the teethof the eccentric gear wheel 26 intermesh at different positions duringthe rotation of said gear wheels 26 and 21.

I believe I am the first to produce such a device as is herein setforth, and I do not wish to be limited to the details set forth anddescribed, but desire that the scope of the appended claims may beconstrued to cover broadly my idea, or so broadly as the state of theart as it now exists may justify.

I claim:

1. In a cutting device, a frame, a pair of cutter rolls rotativelymounted on said frame, means for continuously rotating said cutter rollsduring the operation of said device, means including a variable speedmechanism connected with said cutter rolls for determining the rate ofspeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, and means for synchronizing thespeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, during the actual cuttingoperation, with the linear speed of travel of the material to be cut asit passes between said cutter rolls, said means including a transverselymovable carriage associated with said variable speed mechanism and underthe control of the operator of said cutting device, whereby differentlengths of the material to be cut may be severed by operating saidtransverse- 1y movable carriage and said variable speed mechanism.

2. In a cutting device, a frame, a pair of cutter rolls rotativelymounted on said frame, means for continuously rotating said cutter rollsduring the operation of said device, means including a variable speedmechanism connected with said cutter rolls for determining the rate ofspeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, and means for synchronizing thespeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, during the actual cuttingoperation, with the linear speed of travel of the material to be cut asit passes between said cutter rolls, said means including a transverselymovable carriage associated with said variable speed mechanism and underthe control of the operator of said cutting device, whereby differentlengths of the material to be cut may be severed by operating saidtransversely movable carriage and said variable speed mechanism, saidtransversely movable carriage being so arranged as to change the speedcycle of the cutter rolls when said carriage is moved transversely ofthe cutting device.

3. In a cutting device, a frame, a pair of cutter rolls rotativelymounted on said frame, means for continuously rotating said cutter rollsduring the operation of said device, means including a variable speedmechanism connected with said cutter rolls for determining the rate ofspeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, and means for synchronizing thespeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, during the actual cuttingoperation, with the linear speed of travel of the material to be cut asit passes between said cutter rolls, said means including a transverselymovable carriage associated with said variable speed mechanism and underthe control of the operator of said cutting device, whereby differentlengths of the material to be cut may be severed by operating saidtransversely movable carriage and said variable speed mechanism, saidtransversely movable carriage being so arranged as to change the speedcycle of the cutter rolls when said carriage is moved transversely ofthe cutting device, and said cutter rolls having on one journal of eachof said rolls a driving gear and a driven gear in mesh with each other,said gears being mounted on the journals of the cutter rolls and causingthe rotation of said cutter rolls during the operation of the cuttingdevice.

4. In a cutting device, a frame, a pair of cutter rolls rotativelymounted on said frame, means for continuously rotating said cutter rollsduring the operation of said device, means including a variable speedmechanism connected with said cutter rolls for determining the rate ofspeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, and means for synchronizing thespeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, during the actual cuttingoperation, with the linear speed of travel of the material to be cut asit passes between said cutter rolls, said means including a transverselymovable carriage associated with said variable speed mechanism and underthe control of the operator of said cutting device, whereby differentlengths of the material to be cut may be severed by operating saidtransversely movable carriage and said variable speed mechanism, saidtransversely movable carriage being so arranged as to change the speedcycle of the cutter rolls when said carriage is moved transversely ofthe cutting device, and an independently controlled device for varyingthe variable speed mechanism at the will of the operator of the cuttingdevice without moving said transversely movable carriage.

5. In a cutting device, a frame, a pair of cutter rolls rotatablymounted on said frame, means for continuously rotating said cutter rollsduring the operation of said device, means including a variable speedmechanism connected with said cutter rolls for determining the rate ofspeed of rotation of said cutter rolls, and means for synchronizing thespeed of rotation of said cutter rolls during the actual cuttingoperation with the speed of travel of the material to be cut as itpasses between said cutter rolls, said last-mentioned means including adriven member operable by the variable speed mechanism, another drivenmember connected with said first-mentioned driven member and mounted ona shaft located transversely of said cutting device, a carriage movabletransversely of said cutting device and associated with said shaft, asecond shaft also transversely located in said cutting device andsubstantially parallel with said first-named shaft and adapted to bedriven through intermeshing gears by said first-named shaft, saidintermeshing gears being located in said transversely movable carriage,a gear wheel located on one end of said last-named shaft, another gearwheel intermeshing with said first-named gear wheel and located on thejournal of the lower cutter roll, and an eccentric gear also carried bythe journal of said lower cutter roll and adapted to mesh with aquick-return gear mounted on the journal of the upper cutter roll,whereby the two cutter rolls may be operated during the actual cuttingoperation at a speed synchronized with the linear speed of the materialto be cut, the feed screw supplying transverse movement of saidtransversely movable carriage changing the speed cycle of the cutterrolls by changing the speed cycle of the above second-named shaft whichdrives the lower cutter roll, and also changing the speed of travel ofthe variable speed mechanism.

WILLIAM MAIER.

